50 and fashionable: How Michelle Obama used style to move a nation

Michelle Obama's evolving style – First lady Michelle Obama, who turns 50 on Friday, January 17, catches the American public's attention whenever she sports a new look.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – People took notice when Obama decided to ditch her bangs last year. She explained the decision to Parade magazine in August: "You know, it's hard to make speeches with hair in your face!"

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – For the Inauguration Night balls in 2013, Obama wore a ruby-colored chiffon and velvet gown by Jason Wu, the same designer who made her 2009 inaugural dress. Known for her continuous support of emerging designers, the first lady essentially made the Taiwanese-born designer a household name in 2009 by wearing his dress.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – For Inauguration Day, the first lady mixed "high" and "low" fashion with a belt from J. Crew, coat and dress by Thom Browne, Reed Krakoff boots and necklace by Cathy Waterman, the White House said. After the festivities, the outfit and accompanying accessories were to go to the National Archives.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Obama is known for her loyalty to designers and brands from a variety of price points, often wearing the same items on multiple occasions. At the president's swearing-in ceremony on January 20, 2013, she debuted a dress by Reed Krakoff, whose jackets and gowns she has worn before. Krakoff, the creative director of Coach, started his own label in 2010, style blog Mrs. O noted.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – On her 49th birthday in 2013, Obama's office tweeted images of the first lady with new bangs. Here she meets with inaugural "citizen" co-chairman David Hall.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – The public's obsession with Obama's sartorial choices began with the Narciso Rodriguez sheath she wore when her family took the stage at Chicago's Grant Park after her husband's victory in the 2008 presidential election. Some lauded the choice as an eye-catching statement; others called it an eyesore.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Public opinion was equally divided on the lemongrass shift by Cuban-American designer Isabel Toledo that the first lady wore to her husband's swearing-in on January 20, 2009.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Greater public consensus surrounded the ball gown Obama wore on inauguration night in 2009. The dress put designer Jason Wu on the map and solidified the first lady's reputation as having a keen eye for emerging talent.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Obama has been known to wear dresses from mass retailer Talbots and accessorize them with signature pieces such as this sweater from Dear Cashmere and a belt by Sonia Rykiel, worn in July 2009, according to style blog Mrs. O.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Obama has worn this Target dress on multiple occasions since being photographed in it as she stepped off Air Force One with daughter Sasha on August 15, 2009, according to style blog Mrs. O.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Obama transitioned from a daytime meeting with Mexico's first lady to an awards ceremony on February 25, 2010, wearing the same Jason Wu dress, according to style blog Mrs. O.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – At the annual Clinton Global Initiative in September 2010, the first lady played up her passion for prints with a Moschino Cheap & Chic multipatterned chemise that featured hothouse flowers on top and a digital print on the bottom, fashion consultant Mikki Taylor noted.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Obama highlighted the talents of Indian-born American designer Naeem Khan in this scarlet hued gown with matte crushed sequins and abstract wind-blown roses on scarlet tulle at the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors, according to Taylor.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – The first lady made an entrance at the 2011 Medal of Honor ceremony in a brocade dress by Barbara Tfank that she has worn on multiple occasions since, including a recent appearance on the "Today" show, Taylor said.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – The first lady worked her signature elegance at the Congressional Black Caucus' Annual Phoenix Awards in 2011, pairing a floor length, double-face paillette fishtail skirt by Michael Kors with a black top and a Peter Soronen corset belt, Taylor said.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – The first lady wore a Vera Wang gown to the Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center in Washington on December 4, 2011.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – For lunch with Parklawn Elementary School students in Alexandria, Virginia, Obama wore an argyle sweater from J. Crew, Taylor said. The sweater has made multiple appearances since her January 2012 visit to talk about the USDA's new nutrition standards for school lunches.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Obama showed her right to bare arms in a Zac Posen sheath at a state dinner in honor of British Prime Minister David Cameron on March 14, 2012, at the White House.

Michelle Obama's evolving style – The first lady worked the crowd at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, in a Tracy Reese sheath with pink suede pumps by J.Crew, according to Taylor.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – At the final 2012 presidential debate in Boca Raton, Florida, Obama donned the same Thom Browne fog gray dress with black lace overlay that she wore at the DNC, reworked this time with a black belt and a stone brooch, Taylor noted.

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Michelle Obama's evolving style – Obama greeted the audience at the Kennedy Center Honors in December in a striking gold lame gown by Michael Kors, according to Taylor.

Ad agencies and TV networks won't freely admit to catering to the AARP set. Fashion designers don't typically pander to the grown-up in us. It's tough to find someone 50+ on the cover of Vogue.

And yet, for many women, 50 is the age when we reach our stride. It's when we begin to love our maturing bodies. When we claim our personal style. When we step into our own power.

So, what does the new 50 look like? Two words: Michelle Obama.

Harriette Cole

When you go through the endless scroll of photos of the first lady -- from Inauguration Day, when she first was cloaked in edgy designer Isabel Toledo, to a recent state dinner honoring the British Prime Minister where she was wearing a sleek, off-the-shoulder dress from American design house Marchesa -- you see a fabulous and undeniable evolution.

Obama has the nerve to look younger, fitter, and more comfortable in her skin than she did seven years ago. How she does it is an inspiration to all of us over 50.

If a picture tells anything, it says she is poised to take on whatever comes her way with grace, dignity, humor, warmth and level-headedness. While she has come to be known both for her cut arms and her healthy manifesto to young people, "Let's Move," what remains curious about this 5-foot-11 brown-skinned woman with decidedly black features (who could easily have been considered awkward) is that she has become a fashion icon. A trendsetter, even.

Think about it: How many women in television news and in corporate offices across the country had what the President affectionately called "the right to bare arms" before Michelle Obama started sporting her long, lean limbs? Those sleeveless dresses got women pumping iron, too, urging them on with the dream that they, too, could look as good as she one day.

Vanity has surely driven people to better health!

Michelle O -- much like her predecessor Jackie O -- has taken the global stage by storm, choosing to define a style for herself that defies tradition. The cut arms? Check. The return of the bangs? Check. The popularizing of affordable American fashion? Check.

And why not? All eyes were on Michelle Obama from the moment she walked into the White House. What would the first black first lady do to make her mark? How would she present herself? What would be her defining moments?

Michelle Obama has introduced the country and beyond to a woman who is unafraid to be herself, who embraces her uniqueness, and who strategically says what she thinks.

Michelle Obama turns 50 29 photos

Michelle Obama turns 5029 photos

Michelle Obama turns 50 – First lady Michelle Obama celebrates her 50th birthday on Friday, January 17. Click through the gallery to see photos from her life.

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Michelle Obama turns 5029 photos

Michelle Obama turns 50 – Obama was born Michelle LaVaughn Robinson in Chicago. Here, she is seen as a baby with her father, Fraser Robinson III; her mother, Marian; and her brother, Craig, in 1964.

Michelle Obama turns 50 – Obama's 1980 yearbook photo from Whitney Young High School in Chicago. The magnet school was far from her home on the south side of the city, however, and her round-trip commute was three hours.

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Michelle Obama turns 50 – "I was a pretty serious student," Obama said in a November interview with BET's "106 & Park." "One of the things I wanted to make sure was that I didn't peak in high school. ... So I focused on school. I was really clear that I wanted to go to college. So I needed to have myself together, go to my classes, be on point, be involved in the school."

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Michelle Obama turns 5029 photos

Michelle Obama turns 50 – Obama, seen here in her 1981 yearbook photo, was salutatorian of her high school's senior class.

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Michelle Obama turns 50 – Obama attends prom in 1982 with her first boyfriend, David Upchurch.

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Michelle Obama turns 5029 photos

Michelle Obama turns 50 – Obama graduated from Princeton University in 1985. She received a bachelor's degree in sociology and minored in African-American studies.

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Michelle Obama turns 50 – She met Barack Obama when she was assigned to be his mentor at Sidley & Austin, a Chicago law firm. Here, the two pose for a photo in Hawaii in 1989.

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Michelle Obama turns 50 – The couple married on October 3, 1992.

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Michelle Obama turns 5029 photos

Michelle Obama turns 50 – The Obamas have dinner in 2000 with their first child, Malia. Malia was born on July 4, 1998.

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Michelle Obama turns 5029 photos

Michelle Obama turns 50 – The Obamas are seen in March 2000, when Barack Obama, then an Illinois state senator, was running for the U.S. House of Representatives. He lost the Democratic primary to four-term incumbent Bobby Rush.

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Michelle Obama turns 5029 photos

Michelle Obama turns 50 – The Obamas are seen with daughters Malia and Sasha at Sasha's christening. Sasha was born on June 7, 2001.

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Michelle Obama turns 5029 photos

Michelle Obama turns 50 – The Obamas check in with poll workers in Chicago in November 2004. Barack Obama would go on to win a U.S. Senate seat.

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Michelle Obama turns 5029 photos

Michelle Obama turns 50 – The Obamas celebrate during a victory party in Chicago on November 2, 2004.

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Michelle Obama turns 5029 photos

Michelle Obama turns 50 – Barack Obama gives his wife a playful kiss as they tour the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, in August 2007. Obama was campaigning at the time for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Michelle Obama turns 50 – Michelle Obama plants the White House Kitchen Garden on the South Lawn of the White House in April. To help her, she invited students from schools "that have made exceptional improvements to school lunches." It was part of the first lady's "Let's Move" campaign, which she launched in 2010 to reduce childhood obesity.

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Michelle Obama turns 5029 photos

Michelle Obama turns 50 – The first lady rides a bike while vacationing in Martha's Vineyard, an island off the coast of Massachusetts, in August.

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Michelle Obama turns 5029 photos

Michelle Obama turns 50 – Michelle Obama dances alongside "Sesame Street" character Rosita at the White House in October, after it was announced that "Sesame Street" characters would promote and market fresh fruit and vegetables by Produce Marketing Association growers, suppliers and retailers. It was part of the first lady's "Let's Move" initiative.

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Michelle Obama turns 5029 photos

Michelle Obama turns 50 – Michelle Obama reacts as Ashtyn Gardner, a 2-year-old from Mobile, Alabama, loses her balance while greeting Sunny, one of the Obamas' dogs, at a White House event in December.

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Michelle Obama turns 50 – Michelle Obama listens as her husband speaks to members of the U.S. military and their families at a Christmas Day meal in Kaneohe, Hawaii, last month.

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EXPAND GALLERY

Just Watched

Michelle Obama talks about turning 50

Just Watched

Michelle Obama opens up as she turns 50

Saying it through her attire was a clever way to open many doors. She sold out a Donna Ricco dress from White House/Black Market when she made an early appearance on "The View," showing you don't have to break the bank to look good. She dazzled viewers in British-Nigerian designer Duro Olowu's crazy mixed-up patterns while exercising with children on "Sesame Street." When she took off a shiny black leather jacket to do 25 pushups (three more than Ellen DeGeneres on her own show), folks stopped checking so much for who she was wearing and instead took a good look at what she was saying.

Had Michelle Obama come out on the national stage wearing a frown, pounding her fists, saying we have to get healthy and move our bodies or we are going to die, it's unlikely that her cause would have been met with as much success. Instead, she has made looking and feeling good hip, even fashionable.

For her, 50 isn't about Spanx or any other fat-cloaking accessory. When you are at your fighting weight and probably look amazing in a two-piece, why would you?

For this first lady—whose agenda secretly looks more like that of Eleanor Roosevelt, who stood up for women and intelligence in the face of hostility and scorn—engaging in the art of adornment to expand the lens of how people look at each other and their world has been nothing short of brilliant.

In 2008, America took a bet on a president and first lady who didn't remotely resemble their predecessors. Thank goodness, Michelle Obama didn't choose a predictable, cookie-cutter approach once she moved into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

She took a fashion road less traveled, walking away from heavyweights like Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren and Carolina Herrera and choosing to give some newbies and/or smaller houses a chance. She gave Jason Wu a meteoric jump-start with her first inaugural gown, broadened black female designer Tracy Reese's reach with a sunny People magazine cover and has championed a whole host of other creators—Maria Pinto, Narciso Rodriguez, Thakoon, Tracy Feith, Rachel Roy—many who got the kind of shine they hadn't dared dream about before her reign.